Shaoqing was sitting in the snow, playing with Kaedan with a bright smile on his face. It slowly disappeared, however, when Everett came walking over. Shaoqing cleared his throat and sat up, shushing Kaedan, who gave a small growl. Everett looked at the wolf in caution and kept his distance.
"Hey," Everett said with a small voice as he stared at the wolf.
"He's not going to hurt you. He's just mad at you," Shaoqing said.
"He… should be," Everett said with a sigh. "I've been a big jerk. I'm sorry. Everyone's right. No one was angry with me when I left without a word. Why should we be angry with you? You left to do something really amazing, and I'm proud of you for that. And I'm glad that you're healed and that you're stronger now. It was a huge step to take, and not many cultivators do these days. I admire you for that."
"Why didn't you talk to me when I came home?" Shaoqing asked. "Didn't you miss me?"